Tag Archives: Hope McMath

A DUAL CRITICS REVIEW Jacksonville Beaches is always coming up with new ideas. Last year, they created a “Second Season” to expand their offerings. The plays, most with limited sets and costuming, are staged in the Studio Theatre, which has about eighty seats. The first play of this venture was “Memories of Ruby Mae” in September, 2019. Players did not sell tickets for the play but did accept donations. This year they staged “The Immigrant,” during January 9 – 11. “The Immigrant” was written in 1985 by multi-talented Mark Harelik, an American television, film, and stage actor, and playwright. The play …

Every city is defined by a number of contributing factors from the landscape to its residents and the history of the town itself. In Laramie, Wyoming, the place once recognized as a prominent railroading community where small-town, conservative views meshed in a comfortable contradiction with its panoramic scenery and heaven-meets-earth skies became the epicenter of hate following the death of a young, gay man named Matthew Shepard. Created by a collection of students at the Tectonic Theater Troupe, is the result of over 200 interviews conducted by members over a series of visits to Laramie to understand and explain how …

The exploration of female insanity traces a dark path through times when women were often institutionalized for mental illness. Ribbons of tragedy and unimaginable suffering are entwined in their history, but there are also unexpected threads of hope woven into the individual stories. Playwright Lisa Dillman offers a fascinating portrayal of the elusive nature of madness and the resulting separation it can bring in The Walls, opening February 16th at . Directed by Bradley Akers, the production runs through March 4th. Centered around a group of women and their families in three different time periods, the play studies the exploration …

Hope McMath, a leader in the Jacksonville arts community, has moved on from her post as director at the , to run a new endeavor–Yellow House. Inside Yellow House, just across from the , at first glance, it looks like a gallery, albeit one with storage issues–besides art, the first room of the gallery features pallets of water, cereal boxes and other sundries, ready to go to communities in need. When hurricane Irma hit, mobilized as quickly as possible, getting much needed supplies to those living in Jacksonville, especially in the Washington Heights area, which was flooded. She had specific …

EVENT: A More Perfect Union: Explorations of Human Rights DATE: February 3 to February 28 VENUE: The Space Gallery (120 E. Forsyth Street, Jacksonville, FL 32202) MORE INFO: Facebook Event When curator lifted A More Perfect Union from the as the title of her latest exhibition project, she knew exactly what she was doing. “As a nation,” says McMath, “we haven’t even met the baseline of what’s been defined as ‘a perfect union.’ But that baseline kind of sucked.” Through the Union of 25 mixed-medium artists at in downtown Jacksonville, McMath aims to highlight the post-election conversation surrounding universal human rights. …

10 Questions courtesy of our friends at the Cultural Council of Greater Jacksonville: According to the League of American Orchestras, fewer than two percent (2%) of professional classical musicians in the United States are African-American.  The 2010 Census, which is the most recent Census survey, showed that individuals who identify as African-American represent roughly thirteen percent (13%) of the US population. The disheartening statistic related to the number of African-Americans professionally involved in classical music is one of the motivators that led to the founding of the Ritz Chamber Players. Founded in 2002 by , the stopped charging admission to their concerts …

The framework for the art showing at the ’s exhibition , left a lot of room for expression, giving artists the words and melody of the song ‘Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing’ as an inspiration. Director says that they asked the artists to “marry the message in that song with who you are, and how you are looking at our contemporary situation, around race, around equity, around inclusion, around brutality and hope.” “marry the message in that song with who you are, and how you are looking at our contemporary situation, around race, around equity, around inclusion, around brutality and …